


Breaking the Ice

by userdylanobrien



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Demisexual Daryl Dixon, Friends to Lovers, Frottage, Huddling For Warmth, M/M, Post 9x02, Sex In A Cave, Virgin Daryl Dixon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 17:16:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17646641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/userdylanobrien/pseuds/userdylanobrien
Summary: Aaron falls into a frozen lake while out on a hunting trip, Daryl does his best to keep him warm.





	Breaking the Ice

“S’cold...It hu-urts” Aaron slurred through pale and shaky lips, his icy body plastered to Daryl’s side. 

He had fallen in the lake, chasing after a deer that they had been tracking for the last mile and a half. Foolishly thinking that the same ice that had held the doe up was able to take his own weight.

The younger man had broken through the weak ice so quickly that Daryl hardly even had a chance to scream out his name in a warning. Leaving him back on the bank, pacing and unsure if he should go straight for the crack in the ice or wait to see if he got pulled downstream.

The lake must have been shallow because it only seconds before Aaron broke the surface, heaving at the air with greedy lungs. His right hand made frantic clawing motions at the frozen lake as he tried to pull himself out of the freezing water, while his prosthetic laid limply on the ice sheet unable to help.

Daryl shimmied over to him on his belly, spreading out his weight as much as he possibly could, and grabbed onto him by his backpack so he could heave him the rest of the way out of the subzero lake.  

“You're alright.” The hunter huffed out, unsure if he was reassuring the man he was half-carrying towards the cave or himself; all he could feel was the seizing of painfully-fast, shallow breaths beneath his fingertips.

Daryl had used this cave before when he hunted near the Alexandria Safe-Zone, finding the small hollow to be warm and secluded. the perfect place to be holed up for the night. It was even still booby-trapped from the last time he used it.

“When we get to the entrance, imma need ya to step over the noise detectors, ‘kay?” Aaron sluggishly nodded, his eyelids beginning to droop.

“Hey,” Daryl shook the man to get some life back in him, “Just hold on, you’re gonna be just fine.” This woke the curly-haired brunet, it seemed, evident by the way he hopped over the rope with little assistance from Daryl.

“Get undressed,” he instructed as they entered the cave, letting go of the man to take off his own half-soaked jacket.

Aaron shakily nodded, his teeth chattering violently as he fumbled with his prosthetic. A wounded sound coursing through his frozen lips when his fingers clumsily clawed at the straps without success. “Dar-aryl, can you-u-” he started to ask, then deciding words were just too difficult at that moment and stretched out his arm in question.      

“Yeah sure, man,” Daryl said softly, unbuckling the metal arm from his stump and gently placing it on the ground. Aaron hummed out a thankful noise and reached up for the zipper of his thick jacket and tugged downwards, the metal becoming stuck on the wet fabric, he groaned in frustration and forcefully yanked it up and down with frozen fingers to free it.

Daryl decided to put the man out of his misery and swatted his hand away from the zip, after two tries he was able to free it and pull it off his shoulders.  

“How many fucking layers?” he grumbled unbuttoning the second plaid t-shirt only to reveal an undershirt beneath. “T-they keep me wa-warm,” Aaron stuttered out, defending his choice of clothing.

“All the good that did y-- Ow!” Aaron kicked his shin, and crossed his arms over his now bare chest, his right hand seeking warmth under his underarm while his stump rested on the goosebumped flesh of his right pec; right next to where his nipples were pebbled and the curls of his chest hair were standing up.

Daryl knew he looked his chest for a moment too long, too appreciatively, when he looked back through the fringes of his long hair at the younger man’s face. The councilman had cocked his head to the side, confused brows furrowing together.

Heat rose to the hunter’s face, coughing into his hand he looked at the ground and hoped that the fringes his hair covered his embarrassed cheeks. “Everthin’ else too,” he gestured vaguely at Aarons pants, “longer ya in ‘em the more likely you’d catch hypothermia.”

The Alexandrian turned his back and began to work on his belt one-handed, swearing under his breath as his body convulsed with shivers. Daryl didn’t walk over to help this time, finding the task too intimate to act on without Aaron first asking for his help.

This entire face flushed even darker when he realised that he had been staring again; Aaron’s insistent squirming had allowed him to wriggle out of his belt, and in the dim light of the cave Daryl could see the pale traces of his ass begin to show. Aaron awkwardly pulled down the wet pants and briefs down his ass, then his thighs and all the way down his long legs until they were wrapped around his ankles. Lowering his naked body to the ground, he tugged on the laces of his boots until they unravelled and he was able to kick them off, along with his socks, pants and underwear.

Shaking his wet clothes, he placed them near his prosthetic to dry out.

Daryl fumbled with the edge of his shirt, hesitant about revealing his back to the other man. The worry was soon pushed aside when he heard the moan of pain escape his friend. The Alexandrian was now laying on his side, trembling on the dirty ground and somehow managing to make his tall frame look so very small.

Fuck it, it was just Aaron. Kind, sweet Aaron, who always went out of his way to make Daryl welcome and never asked anything of him except for him to try. He had accepted every other dark and twisted thing about Daryl, what were some ugly scars to add to the mix?

"Fuck you're freezing," Daryl says after he'd stripped down to his underwear, laying behind Aaron and touching the icy skin of his shoulder.                  

Aaron hissed through his teeth when Daryl made the first contact with his skin. Shocked and thinking that he hurt him, Daryl took his hand off the man’s shoulder and started to scoot away from him, “No, no.” Aaron pleaded, reaching blindly behind himself for his wrist, “It’s okay, the warmth just burns a little. I’ll be alright in a bit.” he reassured him, tugging softly at his wrist.

Daryl allowed the Alexandrian to pull on his arm, draping it over his body until it was nestled in his chest. Aaron linked their fingers together with a strong squeeze. The redneck’s heartbeat ticked a little faster at this. Which was stupid, he thought, biting down on his lip. They had hugged and held hands before.

Hell, even during his amputation, the younger man’s first instinct was to reach out to Daryl.

This was no different.

So why did it make his chest ache at this display of affection? Of the trust that he had placed in him to be there; ready to accept his touch and return it with his own? It was ridiculous to think this anything more than Aaron just seeking comfort while he was hurt and afraid.

Scrunching his face, he willed his heart to slow down, desperately hoping that Aaron was concentrating more on his own body than the one next to him.

The two laid in, somewhat, comfortable silence as time passed; breaking it only when Aaron occasionally convulsed with an onslaught of fresh shivers-vibrating through Daryl’s body so violently that his own teeth even clacked a little-or when Aaron became too quiet and limp in his arms.   

Aaron let out a lengthy groan the fourth time he was awakened with a shake, “I’m dying.” he complained.

Daryl rolled his eyes at the other man’s dramatics and the complete contradiction to his earlier statement. “Y’ain’t dyin',” he said, pulling him closer until his body was practically flushed with Aaron’s despite their height difference.

“Yes, I am.” The taller man rebutted. looking over his shoulder, his bright blue eyes narrowed into a mock stink eye.

The redneck snorted, “Nah, man. If a war, the loss of your arm and a whole fuckin’ apocalypse didn’t kill yah ain’t no way that some cold water gonna be the death of ya... Not a badass like you…’Sides, you gotta kid to live for, ‘member.”

“You think I’m badass, now?” The Alexandrian asked playfully, but almost hesitant like he was hoping to disguise his eagerness. Daryl let out a long smokers breath, feeling the urge to bite his nail but he was just too comfortable holding Aaron’s hand to pull away.

“Thought’cha badass from the start, ain’t no coward takin’ a right hook from Rick smilin’,” his admission making the other man beam, “now ya actually look like a badass, though...Think its the beard; ain't so soft lookin’ no more, harder to break.”

Daryl felt even more naked than he thought was possible under Aaron’s soft gaze.

Even in spite of their current situation.

“Glad to know that my laziness has paid off,” Aaron joked, before his face melted into a warm and sincere smile,“...thanks,” Daryl saw the color return to the Alexandrian's face, a red tinge coating his cheeks.

“No problem, man,” Daryl replied, his own face heating under the warm scrutiny of Aaron’s one-eyed gaze.

“Can ya wiggle ya toes,” he asked, watching as his face pinched in concentration and the pain.”Yeah, it feels a lot like pins and needles but it’s not too bad. I can move them.”

Daryl nodded, “Doubt any need to be amputated.” Aaron let out a long relieved breath, one that Daryl doubted that he knew he was holding in, “That's...that’s good, one and done was enough for me.”

“Y’ain’t dying no more, should get some rest.”

“You said I wasn't dying in the first place!”

“Shh, sleep.”

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 2 will be up soon!
> 
> jaaryl & dylanobrien on tumblr!


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